Florida college students who start their education this fall will need to prove, before they earn a degree, that they know something about American democracy, the nation’s founding documents and landmark events in United States history. The State Board of Education approved the new "civic literacy" rule for state college students this week. See the ruling here, and read more at the Orlando Sentinel.

Florida adopts tougher test scores for high school graduation

State education leaders voted today to make it tougher for students who can’t pass required exams to earn high school diplomas. The new rule kicks in for students in the class of 2022, or those who will start high school in August, so it does not affect current high school students. More from the Orlando Sentinel and the Tampa Bay Times.

Florida Pell grant students trail in graduation rates

Florida’s public universities graduated 57 percent of low-income students receiving federal Pell grants in six years, but that trailed the graduation rate of non-Pell students, a new study shows. The analysis by Third Way, a Washington, D.C.- based think tank, used newly reported federal data to track a 2010 cohort of first-time, full-time Pell students in 1,566 four-year institutions across the country. More from the Lakeland Ledger and Florida Politics.

Florida, Texas colleges dominate finalist list for Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

The Aspen Institute has named the 10 finalists for the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence this week. The biennial award recognizes two-year institutions that are improving student outcomes and access. Three Florida institutions – Broward College, Indian River State College and Miami Dade College – made the top ten list. Full news release from the Florida Department of Education, here.

Lawmakers call for special session on K-12 funding

Two South Florida state lawmakers plan to ask the Legislature to increase the public education budget, which they say was insufficiently funded during the 2018 Legislative Session and anticipate a budget shortfall exacerbated by mandates passed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act. [Source: Florida Politics]

› UCF president search came with $236K price tag[Orlando Sentinel] From trays of Brazilian tuna tartare to $180-per-plate dinners, the University of Central Florida wined and dined candidates for the institution’s top post during the final stages of a national search.

› UF College of Medicine ranked among nation’s best[Gainesville Business Report] The University of Florida College of Medicine remained one of the nation’s top-rated public medical schools in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of the best graduate schools.